Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Viljandi and Tartu

For one person, living is cheaper in Viljandi: $1,251 a month against $1,688 in Tartu, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Viljandi
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Viljandi Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tartu
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Tartu Living Index

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Viljandi

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,251

/mo nomad

Tartu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Viljandi and in Tartu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Viljandi and in Tartu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,251 per month in Viljandi vs $1,688 in Tartu, rent included.

Viljandi $1,251
Tartu $1,688

A couple spends around $1,983 per month in Viljandi vs $2,570 in Tartu, rent included.

Viljandi $1,983
Tartu $2,570

A family of three spends $2,715 per month in Viljandi vs $3,452 in Tartu, rent included.

Viljandi $2,715
Tartu $3,452

Viljandi is about 26% cheaper than Tartu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Viljandi sits 8% below the global median, while Tartu is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.27

$16.92 €15.20

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 €78.9

$70.1 €63.0

25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 €10.52

$11.33 €10.18

3.35%

Cappuccino

$4.28 €3.84

$3.99 €3.58

7.27%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €2.00

$3.30 €2.97

-32.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.08

$3.71 €3.34

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 €6.08

$6.58 €5.91

2.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 €5.92

$7.30 €6.56

-9.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.22 €1.10

-10.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.94 €1.74

-24.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.31 €2.08

22.94%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.88

$2.96 €2.66

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.93

$12.57 €11.29

-12.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 €8.00

$8.52 €7.66

4.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.76 €24.94

$14.66 €13.17

89.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.06 €1.85

11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.44 €1.29

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.42 €2.17

10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$3.03 €2.72

-5.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.09 €0.98

-25.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 €0.74

$0.83 €0.75

-1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.88 €1.69

10.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.24 €1.11

-20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.26

$6.73 €6.04

3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.98

$10.23 €9.19

-2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.06 €1.85

-6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.44 €2.19

-16.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.43 €27.34

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 €5.47

$3.49 €3.13

74.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.04 €0.93

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.71 €24.00

$27.18 €24.42

-1.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.91 €1.72

4.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €25.2K

$27.9K €25.1K

0.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.6K €27.5K

$29.5K €26.5K

3.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$342 €308

$310 €278

10.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.56 €15.77

$17.74 €15.94

-1.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.47 €29.17

$36.35 €32.66

-10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.35 €29.97

$42.46 €38.15

-21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.84 €30.41

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €12.08

$11.80 €10.61

13.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$715 €643

$461 €414

55.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,966 €8,955

$11.8K €10.6K

-15.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.1

$110 €98.7

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.24

$47.51 €42.68

8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €109

$103 €92.7

17.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €123

$122 €109

12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 €576

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 €417

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 €1,057

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 €761

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,902 €3,506

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,828 €2,541

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,935 €1,738

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

3.93

-12.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Viljandi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tartu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Viljandi

$392 31.4%

Tartu

$364 21.5% 7.3% $29

Groceries & Markets

Viljandi

$313 25.1%

Tartu

$284 16.8% 9.5% $30

Eating Out

Viljandi

$288 23%

Tartu

$293 17.3% 1.8% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Viljandi

$186 14.8%

Tartu

$172 10.2% 7.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Viljandi

$60 4.8%

Tartu

$66 3.9% 9.7% $5.8

Getting Around

Viljandi

$12 * 1%

Tartu

$46 2.7% 279% $34

Accommodation & Living

Viljandi

- * 0%

Tartu

$464 27.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Viljandi versus $70 in Tartu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $284 – making Tartu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Viljandi

🇪🇪 Tartu

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

Same time as Viljandi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,100

102,414

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Viljandi Tartu 66 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Viljandi vs Tartu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,251 in Viljandi, $1,688 in Tartu – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,877 per month in Viljandi and $2,532 in Tartu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Viljandi and $70 in Tartu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Tartu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,251 in Viljandi and $1,688 in Tartu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Tartu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,251 in Viljandi to $1,688 in Tartu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.